The Extreme Band Announces The Release Of “The Ballad Of Nicolaus Farel” | Symphony Of Heaven Goes For More
“Behold, I tell you a mystery; a story unknown by the masses, hidden by the shadows of time. In the annals of history, heroes are not born, they are forged. So tell me, have you heard the ballad of Nicolaus Farel?”
Thus, Melodic Blackened Death Metal act Symphony Of Heaven returns, two years removed from their 2024 offering, “Ordo Aurum Archeia”, to premiere the visceral and unrelenting new track known as “The Ballad Of Nicolaus Farel”. The song premieres the story of Grandmaster Nicolaus Farel, a tale long known amongst the brethren of The Ordo Aurum, and now this generation has been chosen as the ones to whom his existence will be revealed to the world.
Working with Jeremiah Scott (Demon Hunter) of Southern Oracle Studio, and Willie Plischke of Bricktown Studios in Berlin, Germany, Symphony Of Heaven have leveled up their sound to the top of industry, all the while operating one hundred percent independent of major labels and industry insiders.
The new track is an unapologetic 6 and a half minute assault on the senses. The band successfully blends its own American brand of Blackened Extreme Metal with the glory days of the early 2000’s Melodic Death Metal scene in Europe.
“The Ballad of Nicolaus Farel” firmly establishes the band’s place amongst their peers in both the New Wave of Christian Extreme Metal, and North American Melodeath scene.
This track is a true statement that delves even deeper into what we heard on “Ordo Aurum Archeia”—an album that has led me to conclude I may very well have stumbled upon one of the most interesting bands of recent times.
Traces of Death and Black Metal, all woven with that orchestral sensibility that takes you on a unique journey—that’s what Symphony Of Heaven is all about, and with “The Ballad Of Nicolaus Farel,” that vision seems to deepen.
It seems the time has come to start thinking about the follow-up to “Ordo Aurum Archeia,” and in that vein, Symphony Of Heaven is preparing to release its new single, “The Ballad Of Nicolaus Farel”—a track that appears to be the prelude to a new full-length album from Symphony Of Heaven. “This new single is a continuation of the subject matter that started with “Ordo Aurum Archeia”, focusing on the stories associated with The Golden Order of The Almighty, and will segway into a full album that is already in the works”, Pathos, Symphony Of Heaven’s vocalist and guitarist, told us.
Anyone who has heard “Ordo Aurum Archeia” will surely agree with us that it’s a unique, powerful, and utterly overwhelming album. After hearing “The Ballad of Nicolaus Farel,” that conclusion should only be reinforced.
Regarding this very new track that the band will be presenting, Pathos told us that “The Ballad of Nicolaus Farel” is an overview of the adventures and exploits of The Golden Order of The Almighty’s 109th Grandmaster, Nicolaus Farel”, and he also explained the band’s goal with this new song. “With this single, we unveil to the world the story of this Man, this Traveler, Nicolaus Farel, and call upon everyone to look deeper into the Legend and Lore. This is in fact but a prequel to a full album.”
Pathos then delved into the musical aspects of the track. “Musically, this is one of our most aggressive and unrelenting tracks ever, if not the most. It channels the extreme yet Melodic Death Metal and Black Metal of the early 2000s, such as Arch Enemy and old Dimmu Borgir”, he told us.
But Pathos also described the creative and production process behind “The Ballad Of Nicolaus Farel.” “The composition process followed the same as it usually goes for Symphony of Heaven, with the majority of the song being demo’d out at Rusted Recordings Studios”, he says. “This time, we decided to level up the recording process exponentially. We hired Jeremiah Scott of Demon Hunter to track and record ASAPH’s drums, and traveled to his studio in the Nashville area for a day of tracking. It turned out absolutely amazing and was our first experience working with someone outside of our home studios to record SOH material. We then hired Willie Plischke of Bricktown Studios in Berlin to handle the mixing and mastering of the main track. He has worked with top bands in the industry and definitely was able to deliver the sound we were looking for.”
After listening to an album like “Ordo Aurum Orcheia,” I had to ask Pathos about the direction Symphony Of Heaven will take with this new release. “Both this new single and the forthcoming album will follow the same approach, as we further refine our process and level up every aspect of this operation”, he told us, but he also spoke about his influences when composing and the various combinations of different aspects of Extreme Metal. “I don’t intentionally try and combine different subgenres of Metal”, he said, “it just naturally happens it seems. So we aren’t pivoting on our style at all, but rather we are leaning further into it. I will say that I am being intentional with the guitar riffs, implementing more rhythmic parts, more palm muting and more of what you could call the “Alexi Laiho” approach. A couple of bands that really have been influencing my songwriting lately in a more focused way is Keep of Kalessin, Ensiferum, Wintersun and Children of Bodom.”
One of the things that stands out most in Symphony Of Heaven’s sound is that background orchestration, which provides the necessary framework for their riffs and intensity to shine. In this regard, Pathos told us about this very notable aspect of the orchestration. “A lot of intentional study time went into the writing process for that. Going back and studying composere such as Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman really helped with that”, he told us.
Both “Ordo Aurum Archeia” and the new single “The Ballad of Nicolaus Farel,” as well as the upcoming album, make one think it would be a great idea to see and hear Symphony of Heaven perform live. “We have a few upcoming shows in September, one in Evansville, IN and the other at Immersion Fest in Circleville, OH. We are also working to secure a few more around this time but that remains to be seen”, Pathos revealed, though Symphony Of Heaven’s priority right now is focused on what’s next for the band. “All our efforts now are focused on this single and it’s associated Extended Edition, and the full length album that God willing will come after this”, stated Symphony Of Heaven’s vocalist and guitarist.
For this new single, the band will be releasing a music video that will soon be available on major streaming platforms. Finally, we’d like to share a brief reflection and a message that Pathos has left for us and all our followers—something important that we must never lose sight of. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, and I want to tell everyone to continue supporting independent Metal. You can find us and all our music on Bandcamp and on all streaming platforms. Thank you and God bless!”
And before we forget, here are Symphony Of Heaven’s social media links below so you can support them, follow them, and stay tuned for the release of “The Ballad of Nicolaus Farel,” which will soon be available on major digital platforms…
https://symphony-of-heaven.com
